A stunned silence hung in the air, thick with disbelief and dawning horror. Zander's ridiculous instructions echoed in the vast chamber, each word a testament to his utter lack of a real plan.
Lyra was the first to break the silence, a disbelieving laugh bubbling up from her throat. "Flank? Diversion? Keep that thing occupied with Sparkplug's… potent energies?" She gestured wildly at the towering Orc King, her voice laced with hysteria. "Are you completely insane, Zander? That thing could swat us like flies!"
Kael, his face pale and drawn, finally found his voice, though it trembled with fear.
"Captain… with all due respect… this isn't some stray goblin. That's… that's a B-Rank. We're dead!"
Tessa's vines, usually so responsive and aggressive, remained coiled and still, as if even they sensed the futility of the situation. "He's right, Zander. This is suicide. What kind of 'strategic escalation' throws us against something ten times our level?"
As their despair reached its peak, a low, guttural chanting began to emanate from the shadows beyond the dais. The air shimmered, and the familiar green forms of goblins began to coalesce, their ragged weapons glinting in the oppressive gloom.
Behind them, the flickering orange glow of kobold fire appeared, followed by the distinct rattling of kobold shamans and the appearance of their unsettling totems.
"Oh, for the love of…" Lyra's voice trailed off, her eyes wide with a horrifying realization. They were being swarmed. Not just by the boss, but by a fresh wave of the dungeon's denizens.
Panic surged through Kael. Arcs of uncontrolled lightning crackled around him as he stumbled backward. "No, no, no! Not again!"
Tessa finally reacted, her thorny vines lashing out, tearing through the first wave of goblins. CRACK! THWACK! The sounds of snapping bones and collapsing bodies filled the air, but for every goblin that fell, two more seemed to take its place.
Lyra, despite her terror, shouldered her rifle, her movements jerky but determined. BANG! BANG! Headshots dropped the closest goblins, but the sheer number was overwhelming. "Zander, do something! This is your 'strategy,' right?" she yelled, her voice strained.
Zander stood frozen, his carefully constructed facade crumbling. His mind raced, desperately searching for an escape route, a hidden passage, anything that could save his own skin. He muttered vague instructions, pointing aimlessly, his eyes darting nervously between the encroaching horde and the monstrous Orc King.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it! They're going to see. They're going to know I'm a fake.' The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through him, eclipsing even the immediate danger.
As the goblins and kobolds pressed closer, Kael, fueled by adrenaline and fear, began to unleash a torrent of raw power. Bolts of lightning ripped through the chaotic ranks, leaving trails of smoking corpses. He even managed to level up, a flicker of newfound energy surging through him, but the sheer number of enemies was relentless.
Lyra, too, fought with desperate precision, her shots finding their marks, and she felt a surge of power within her as well, a small consolation amidst the overwhelming odds.
Suddenly, with a ground-shaking roar, the Orc King moved. Its massive form blurred, and in a horrifying instant, its bloodstained axe swung down. Tessa, caught completely off guard, didn't even have time to scream. The heavy blade cleaved through her torso, a sickening THUNK echoing in the chamber. Her body, severed in two, slumped to the ground in a spray of blood and viscera.
As the life drained from Tessa's eyes, the Orc King let out a guttural chuckle. It turned its massive head towards Lyra, a wide, disturbingly playful grin stretching across its tusked maw, its eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. A low, mocking sound rumbled in its chest, as if it found their struggle utterly pathetic.
Lyra's breath hitched in her throat. A raw, animalistic scream tore from her lungs. Tessa… her best friend… butchered and mocked. Blind, incandescent rage flooded Lyra's senses, eclipsing all fear. "You… you disgusting monster!" she shrieked, charging towards the Orc King, her rifle forgotten on the ground. Curses poured from her lips, a torrent of pure, unadulterated fury.
Kael could only stare, his youthful face contorted in a mask of pure terror and disbelief. The casual brutality of the Orc King's actions, its horrifying mockery, had shattered any remaining semblance of hope.
Lyra, heedless of the danger, reached the Orc King, her small frame a pathetic contrast to its immense size. But the monstrous creature barely registered her approach. With a swift, brutal movement, it turned its massive head, its jagged teeth flashing. Its playful smile widened, a truly horrifying sight. Before Lyra could even touch it, the Orc King's jaws clamped down on her head. A sickening CRUNCH echoed through the chamber, followed by a wet, tearing sound. Lyra's body went limp, her headless corpse falling to the stone floor in another gruesome display.
Zander stood frozen, his blood turning to ice. The sheer speed and brutality of the Orc King's attack, its sadistic amusement, the casual consumption of his companions… it was beyond anything he could have imagined. His carefully constructed lies, his pathetic attempts at leadership, all felt meaningless in the face of this overwhelming horror. He was utterly alone, facing a monster that reveled in their suffering.
His only instinct now was to survive, to somehow escape this nightmare, even if it meant leaving the mangled remains of his supposed comrades behind. The Orc King, its maw still dripping with Lyra's blood, turned its gaze towards him, its cruel eyes promising a similar, agonizing end, perhaps even with its own twisted brand of amusement.